RWBY RED - On Hiatus
by Spat915
Summary: Ruby is retired and has nothing to do. That is until a group of assassins break into her home in the middle of the night and she learns her whole team has been labelled R.E.D. or Retired and Extremely Dangerous! Who ordered this and why? To find out, Ruby must come out of her retirement and reassemble her team for one final mission! And who knows what she'll find along the way!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Hello everyone, just the usual disclaimer here... skip to the good stuff! (or dont... It's your choice, really.)**

**This story was inspired by R.E.D. (Retired and Extremely Dangerous) - a movie starring the Die Hard guy (Bruce Willis). So naturally this is when Ruby is retired. ****I do not own anything to do with R.E.D. or any other stuff connected to that. Nor do I own anything to do with RWBY, that's all Roosterteeth. This is just my idea of a sort of RWBY: After Retirement and what that would look like. Also, events taking place that seem simlar to events in RED are not because I'm just replacing the characters of RED, it's because I needed a starting point. Nothing more.**

**Now please enjoy RWBY RED**

* * *

**Patch Island, Vale - 16:12**

"Hey there Penny, is Weiss in today?"

"Not today I'm afraid." Penny answered. "Should I take a message?"

"Nah, I won't bother her then. It's just that I still haven't recieved that cheque I asked about last time." She replied as she looked down at the cheque in question that sat on the table in front of her.

"Still? What has it been? Four months now?" Penny tutted as the sound of keys clicking indicated her computer lookup. "Well, that is very odd but I will send out another cheque right away. Oh, good afternoon Ms. Schnee! I do hope the meeting went well!"

"About as well as you'd expect, Penny." A third voice spoke in the distance.

"Shall I order the usual for lunch?" Penny asked as her fingers continued to type.

"No thank you. I grabbed something on the way back. I'll be in my office." Weiss said before a distant click indicated a door being unlocked.

"Yes, mam." Penny responded. "Well Ruby, I've sent another cheque out. It should arrive within two weeks."

"Thank you Penny." Ruby leaned back in her chair to look at her white ceiling. "I heard Weiss come in just now, is she busy?"

"I dare say that she is, Ruby." Penny answered honest as ever.

"Would you be able to put me through? But say it's the Office of Internal Affairs." Ruby smiled at her practical joke. "Override Six-Alpha-Four-Epsilon."

A barely audible beep sounded out over the phone. "Yes, Madame Secretary. I shall put you through right away! Please hold."

The line went dead for a few seconds as Ruby waited then a slightly flustered sounding Weiss answered.

"H-hello? Madame Secretary?" Weiss asked her voice barely giving off a sense of nervousness.

"Hello Ms. Schnee, I'm calling about last year's audit." Ruby said, adopting an accent to match the real secretary's voice.

"Of course. How may I help you?" Weiss answered quickly and once again calmly.

Ruby could barely hold in a giggle and took just a fraction of a second too long to answer. "We seem to have made a grave error with one of your deductibles."

The line was silent for a minute.

"Okay, jokes over Ruby." Weiss sighed dropping her level of formality slightly.

"Damn. Oh well. So how's it going?" Ruby smiled as she picked up the cheque from the table.

"Same as usual. There's been a slight drop in White Fang activity, so that has been nice." Weiss said, simply rehashing everything Ruby already knew from the news. "How are things in Patch?"

"You already know nothing changes here. Cardin is still running that gym and asks me every time I see him when Yang will come back. Nora's club still gets at least a few noise violations every night but since Ren's the chief she never gets in too much trouble. And I still wait for that cheque of yours to show up." Ruby said thinking of the goings on of the small city. She ripped up the cheque and tossed it into her fireplace atop glowing embers.

"I can't believe you still haven't gotten that!" Weiss exclaimed. "I should fire whoever is in charge of sending payments!"

"Don't do that. It's not like I need it anyway. I still have my investments set up the way you did them back when we were in Mystral during the Third Campaign." Ruby said.

"Alright, fine." Weiss sighed. "Anyway, how's that hobby of yours coming along?"

"Fantastic actually, I'll send you a picture some time. It's now two leaves!" Ruby cheered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well its not like it's going to grow all at once. I started mine ten years ago." Weiss said with a slight laugh.

"Still, you'd think three weeks might actually see a slight difference." Ruby argued.

"Impatient as ever. I still cant believe you retired before the rest of us." Weiss sighed, the noise of shuffling papers temporarily echoed in the background.

"Well, you know… nobody wants to hire some old Huntress when there are plenty younger and willing to work for less." Ruby sighed. "I was the only one of us that actually stuck with that career, so I guess it's my fault for not branching out."

Weiss let out an actual laugh. "At least you're free. I'm stuck here till one of those assassins finally puts a round through my head."

"Have there been a lot of attempts since last time?" Ruby asked as she stretched and switched the ear she had the phone pressed to.

"Sixteen." Weiss answered with a yawn. "I swear, since Ozpin and Glynda left, that school has gone soft."

"You heard too then?" Ruby inquired, wondering not for the first time how Weiss managed to keep tabs on almost all of Remnant.

"Of course. Although I do understand the reasoning since a fall from that height could kill you if you're not careful. Look at Jaune, if it weren't for Pyrrha he'd never have made it past the initiation." Weiss said.

"Ah, he was fine. Anyway, not getting launched off a cliff seems a bit soft, not to mention most of these missions they go on now are more or less patrols of areas we've cleared out ages ago, like that area south of Atlas where we went in our final year. I hear they still use the same coordinates even though we cleared it out with just the four of us." Ruby said. "You'd think since Pyrrha took over things would have stayed the same."

"Well, I heard the board of directors has been playing politics with her. Apparently they tried with Ozpin, but you know how he was." Weiss laughed again.

"Yeah, probably scared the hell out of them when they tried to force him to follow their rules." Ruby laughed. In the background she heard an alarm go off and Weiss sigh in response before the beeping disappeared.

"Sorry Ruby, I have another meeting to get to. It's been nice talking to you again. Next time you're in Atlas, look me up and we'll grab a drink." Weiss said, her voice slightly rushed. "And if we can track down those other two delinquints, we can have an actual reunion!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Ruby smiled to herself. Weiss might appear cold to everyone else, but to her old teammates she was actually quite friendly after spending ten years together fighting grimm and keeping Remnant relatively peaceful.

"Okay, but I have to go. Bye." Weiss said.

"See ya." Ruby replied just before she heard a click of the line being cut. She dropped the phone from her ear and turned it off. She sighed and looked around the room.

Her house consisted of two small floors, a basement and attic. The attic was unusable since the insullation had been horrible and the winters in Patch weren't something to laugh at. The upstairs had two bedrooms, one of which was empty and unused, and a bathroom. The main floor had a small kitchen with nothing but a small counter, sink and oven below a row of cabinets that held the few dishes Ruby owned. She currently sat in the living room across from her window on a couch that could seat two, not that it had ever gotten a chance in the twenty years she'd had it. In front of her was a small, circular glass table that held her phone and a pot with a two-leafed plant inside. Just to the right of her was the fireplace she often used instead of the gas furnace since the fire left a more calming atmosphere. The fire had gone out some time ago, but the hot coals still maintained enough life to have turned the ripped cheque to ash. On the mantle above the hearth, a single framed photo stood with it's polished silver edges shining in the late afternoon light.

It wasn't the nicest home, but it was a place to sleep. Something Ruby hadn't had the luxury of having for many years throughout her life. Now that she was retired, there was nothing to do except relax and enjoy what most people would call a normal life. Being who she was, Ruby spent most of her time at home or walking around town, not necessarily doing anything, yet helping keep the peace by hunting the few grimm in Patch's forest for sport. To say the least she was currently bored enough to sit and watch her plant grow.

"Maybe I'll take a nap." Ruby mumbled to herself as she slid sideways on the couch, her face landing in the small ray of soft and warm sunlight that slowly grew as the sun set farther on the horizon. "I'll find something to do tomorrow…"

* * *

**End Note:**

**Well, thank you for reading, and I hope you like it.**

**Let me know what you think by leaving a review or PMing me. I always love hearing from you readers. As always, I will only ask that any criticisms be constructive.**

**Again, thanks for reading, and have a nice day (and/or night)!**

**Update 06-23-2015: EDITS! And Chapter 2 coming VERY SOON!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**To everyone who followed or favourited, thank you.**

**I always appreciate hearing from you, so leave a review or PM me to tell me what you think. As always, I ask that any criticisms be constructive so I can work to improve in the future.**

**Thank you for reading, and please enjoy!**

* * *

**Patch Island, Vale - 01:53**

Ruby woke with a start and jumped off the couch. She thought she'd heard a noise but couldn't have been sure since she had been asleep. Then her stomach growled quietly and she had to laugh.

_Out of all the things to wake me…_

She walked into the kitchen and quickly made a sandwitch, chopping a chunk of meat and lettuce with her razor sharp chefs knife. She was about to take a bite when she heard the floor just outside the door squeak.

The door opened and three men in black suits carrying needles and pistols walked into the room, looking around as they noticed rose petals falling where Ruby'd just been standing.

One looked up just as Ruby landed on his back, twisting his head and breaking his neck in a smooth assassination. She kicked the body into the arms of the second man as the third lunged at her with the needle. She smacked his arm out of the way and rolled out of the way as he tried to hit her with his gun.

_So you're not supposed to make any noise, huh?_

She grabbed her knife and threw it at the third man just as the second recovered. The knife landed with a squelch as it punctured the man's eye and killed him instantly by embedding itself through his brain. The second man lunged at Ruby who used her semblance to dodge then redirect the mans arm into his own neck. She pushed the plunger on the needle down and the man fell limp in her arms.

She dropped the body and picked up one of the discarded syringes. She licked it and identified the poison it contained. The heart attack inducing poison wasn't anything new to her, though she hadn't been on the target's side for more than ten years already. She quickly spat any saliva in her mouth out to make sure the small amount of poison wouldn't harm her.

Ruby slowly returned to her living room to look out the window. In front of the house were at least two men with large guns at the ready.

"Time to break out my baby." Ruby smiled as she walked back to the kitchen. She pulled a clip from one of her assailants pisols and found explosive dust rounds.

She pulled out a frying pan and poured a small amount of water in it before dumping it on the stove with the explosive rounds and cranking the heat up to max. She left before it started to boil, heading to her basement. She quickly grabbed the sledge hammer that stood just beside the stairs and kicked a trunk out of the way before she slammed the hammer down on the floor, shattering the concrete covering a hidden weapon crate.

She opened it after cleaning some of the concrete off it and pulled out her oldest and dearest weapon, Crescent Rose. The High-Impact Sniper/Scythe hybrid had been heavily modified since her time at beacon, but still maintained its signature shape when in it's two primary forms. Since then however, she'd modified it to contain a compartment for a small firearm and added a customizable chamber that allowed her to use any round up to and including a 90 caliber. She'd also changed her scythe's blade to be made of detachable combat knives for when the situation called for it. In short, her extremely dangerous weapon had transformed from a simple reaper's tool to a weapon Death himself would be proud and terrified of.

Ruby heard the slight pop indicating the water had evaporated from the frying pan which would now start to warp under the stress while the rounds started to heat up. She quickly holstered her weapon and withdrew the smaller secondary pistol to find the revolver's chamber already loaded with burn dust. Ruby smiled as she thought about the hell she'd caused in the past with a single round. She quickly loaded herself with as much ammo as she could carry and took her combat belt from the bottom of the chest. She walked up the stairs and stopped and waited while her head remained just below the level of the main floor.

A chorus of explosions sounded from her kitchen just as another chorus sounded from much farther away. She listened as wood splintered and dust rained down from the ceiling as a hail of bullets punctured all the way through her house for three solid minutes before she heard footsteps crunch on broken glass and wood. She opened the door in front of her and calmly walked out and into her living room.

She waited patiently until it seemed all the men had entered her house. There were four this time. She picked up a piece of wood and threw it above their heads in the darkness, the noise of it hitting the wall making them spin towards the sound. She stepped out from her hiding spot and shot the first man in the back, a small hole burned right through his kevlar vest and chest instantly. He fell to the ground and Ruby disappeared in an explosion of rose petals.

"Split up, check your corners!" One of the men ordered and two walked into the living room, the other heading for the kitchen while stepping over the body of his comrade.

Ruby sat on the stairs to the upper level, watching the lone man pass. As he drew level, she pulled the trigger, the round punching through his useless helmet and frying his brain. She walked back down the stairs and jumped to the ceiling before doing the splits to remain suspended in the narrow hall. One of the two men from the living room came out of the doorway and passed directly beneath her, finding his fallen comrade with his head still smoking.

Ruby landed silently behind him and pulled the trigger for the third time, sending the man to the ground with a burned out heart. She walked casually into the living room to find the other man had already moved on. She walked back into the next room and still found nothing.

Her combat sense made her spin to see the last remaining man raise his gun and open fire. Ruby almost felt herself laugh for the first time in a long while as she easily dodged the first bullet with her semblance and dove behind the wall. She kept moving as the man seemed intent on simply shooting every possible round in the large bucket attached to his weapon.

She entered the kitchen and kept going after she used her semblance to create fresh rose petals leading behind the island. She saw the area start exploding as the man entered and found the fresh evidence of her whereabouts and Ruby had to laugh as she circled around, her footsteps hidden by the loud rattling of the machine gun.

Ruby smiled to herself, pulling back the hammer to make a loud click right beside the mans head as his gun jammed. He turned toward her as her smile grew and she pulled the trigger.

The mans body fell limp and she started her age old ritual of scavenging rounds. Its not that she needed them, but she never knew when her enemies would bring new toys for her to play with.

_Only explosive. Disappointing._

She finished a second more gruesome ritual her sister had taught her many years ago that involved her chefs knife and a ziplock bag. At one point, she'd been disgusted by the method, but its results were unquestionable. She then left the house, grabbing her team's picture and her old red cloak on the way. Behind her, she heard the building creak as the wind picked up in a sudden gust. A portion of the living room collapsed, burrying her couch and the plant she'd tried to grow.

_Well, it wasn't working out too well anyhow…._

She decided it was time to go on a vacation.

* * *

**ATLAS CITY, Atlas - 23:02**

Weiss sighed as she finished the large stack of paperwork on her desk. She loved the android secretary she worked with, but she could be like a drill sargent at times. She stood and stretched her arms, satisfied that she'd gotten the days work finished.

"Miss Schnee, there are a group of people here to see you." Penny's voice sounded through the phone on her desk.

Weiss looked out the window at the building that was being constructed alongside her own and made a mental note to move her office to face another direction so she wouldn't have to stare at the metal monstrosity when it was completed.

"Very well, send them in." Weiss called to the phone she often left on speaker. She turned to her door and opened it to the hall. She started walking to meet whoever it was that decided to call so late in the evening and froze as she found herself in the sights of three assault rifles.

"Fire!" a man out of view ordered and Weiss acted instinctually, throwing up thousands of miniature glyphs in front of her that each caught a single round and held it suspended in the air. She was thankful to Ruby's uncle, not for the first time over the years, that he'd forced her to learn to use her semblance without the assistance of a weapon or dust.

She yawned lazily behind her brightly glowing wall as the men ceased fire. "Are you finished now?" She asked impatiently, turning her glyphs around and releasing the bullets all at once to continue on their new flight path to pepper the men with their own exploding rounds.

Weiss waited for several moments to see if the man outside her view would try next. When he didn't, she sighed. It was almost always the same. She'd kill most of them, but the last few always got scared and ran. Honestly she was considering retirement just to get away from these idiot White Fang assassins. They didn't even have any reason to target her anymore because she was the largest equal rights employer on Remnant since she'd taken the company over from her father.

Just as she was about to reenter her office, she saw a small white flash from the building directly across the street. She pulled up a glyph as fast as she could, but it didn't help. The glyph shattered as the bullet went through, barely skimming past her head, cutting a strand of her hair as it continued past her. She heard the crack of it impacting down the hall and a short scream before a dull thump ended in silence as the glass of her window continued to shatter on the ground. Weiss knew she was in a corner and stayed where she was. If the sniper wanted her dead, there was nothing she could do to stop them since she knew the round they'd used was one of the most powerful she'd ever invented.

She watched the shadows carefully as she waited to find out her fate. Then after a minute, the shadows shifted and a red cape fluttered in the wind before disappearing. Weiss smiled and made her way out of her office, making sure to close the door behind her. She found Penny sparking from a hole in her chest where she'd been shot. Weiss sighed in exasperation.

"You do know that repairs on you cost a fortune, right?" Weiss asked as she stepped behind Penny's desk to take the shadow box containing her old Multi-Action Dust Rapier, Myrtenaster.

"I knOW!" Penny replied, her speaker making her voice's volume fluctuate as she remained immobile. "I'M SOrry, Miss, Miss, Miss SCHNEE!"

"That's alright, but this is the third time this year, please try to be more careful going forward." Weiss replied with a sigh, seeing that she only had ice dust left inside the rapiers cartridge.

The door to the elevator dinged before it started to open and Weiss didn't even look over to know who it was.

"You almost killed me, you know." Weiss said, turning to face Ruby who was now in her full combat uniform, her black and red combat skirt swaying as she walked into the room to inspect the man she'd shot.

"Meh, you should know if I wanted you dead you wouldn't have been able to pull up that glyph." Ruby replied with a shrug. "Nice to see you again by the way, and sorry I kind of redecorated."

Weiss looked over at the area of the white painted room that now shone red with the exploded mans blood. She shrugged and placed her rapier at her hip. "Oh well, I suppose it does add character to the place. And thanks for the assist by the way, even though I didn't intend to get a haircut."

Ruby laughed and gave Weiss a hug. "It was nothing. Anyway, you kind of have to be alive to buy me a drink, remember?"

"Fine. Let's go." Weiss pressed the button on the elevator and the doors slid open. The two women entered and Ruby waved to Penny who managed a nod before the doors shut.

"I can't believe she was so awesome back when we were in Beacon and now… not so much." Ruby laughed more to herself than anything.

"I think she's still the same, but she's limited by her programming. Intelligent or not, she can't improve unless her algorithms are refined." Weiss stated. "Also, thinking of Beacon, have you heard from the other two?"

"Not Blake, but I heard Yang is living in one of those assisted living facilities that went up a couple years back in the south side of the city." Ruby said with a shrug.

"Assisted…?" Weiss started to ask, then thought better of it. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

Ruby shrugged and the two waited in silence until the elevator opened up to a large white atrium with a massive chandellier hanging from the three story high ceiling.

"You know, I never really get used to all this." Ruby stated, waving at the shining room as they passed through. "I mean, I know to expect it, but it just seems…"

"Unnecessary?" Weiss provided emotionlessly as she pulled her keys from her pocket.

"Yeah, sorry." Ruby admitted, following her old partner into a parkade.

"Don't be. The main reason I keep junk like that is so the cleaning staff feel needed." Weiss shrugged. "It takes thirty of them two days to clean all the crystal on that thing, as well as keeping the office staff happy with how bright it keeps the building, even at night."

"Meh, it's still just a useless waste of glass." Ruby shrugged and hopped over the locked door into Weiss's convertible sports car as Weiss unlocked her door and slipped behind the wheel.

"Yes, Ruby. Yes it is." Weiss sighed as she gunned the motor and sped out onto the street, the powerful dust engine in the rear purring like a crouched puma, ready to strike. After several turns, Weiss slowed the car considerably as they passed into a street that had many bright neon signs. "Since you're the guest, you may pick where we go."

"Sure…" Ruby looked down the street, one place catching her eye. The building was taller than those around it, reaching three stories in height. The front side was illuminated with strobe lights that shone white and red in alternating colors, making the white building look alive. "What's that place?"

Weiss didn't need to look at Ruby's hand to see she was pointing at the monstrosity at the far end of the street. "I don't know. The place was supposed to be an art gallery but someone sniped the auction."

"Just saying, you make a good target for a sniper. You don't move enough." Ruby laughed, earning her a punch in the shoulder.

"Very funny." Weiss pulled up in front of the flashing establishment to find a white and red neon sign above the entrance. It depicted several different drink glasses on either side of the name 'Hide Out'.

Weiss set the alarm on her vehicle before she aproached a muscled man standing in front of the door with Ruby. She nodded to him before stepping past with Ruby, causing a chorus of mumbling from the long line behind a velvet rope that stretched around the side of the building.

"I guess owning half of Remnant really does get you places." Ruby joked heading over to a table as Weiss stopped a passing waiter.

"Only if you know what you're doing." Weiss replied as she sat across from Ruby. "So what brings you to Atlas so suddenly? I wasn't expecting you to show up the night after I offered you a drink."

"Well, it was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing." Ruby replied as the waiter from earlier came by with two drinks. "This brings me back."

"I figured the first round could be for old times' sake." Weiss replied, taking the glass that was filled with ice and vodka.

"Cheers!" Ruby took the remaining glass with ice and scotch and took a small swallow before glancing around.

They were situated in a dark corner of the club where the tables were mostly abandoned, the patrons mostly at the bar or on the dance floor that made up the other half of the room. The loud music was quiet enough to avoid yelling, but was still loud enough to mask any conversation. In other words it was a perfect place to talk privately, even being surrounded by other people.

"So I hardly doubt you'd come to Atlas with Crescent Rose 'just because'. Is there something I should be concerned about?" Weiss asked as she set her drink back onto the table.

"I'm not quite sure. I guess I was a bit suspicious that I had some unexpected company last night." Ruby said, attempting to guage her old teammate's reaction.

"Did you get ID's?" Weiss asked, leaning forward. "Or any other info?"

"I'm taking some material to Yang tomorrow for the ID. Other than that they were unmarked, trained to today's standards, and only one was a faunus." Ruby elaborated noting her teammate didn't seem at all nervous. "And I know it's rude to ask, but did you send them my way?"

"Interesting…" Weiss sat back and closed her eyes for a second. "And no, I didn't hire them…. Not White Fang because they almost always wear the flag. And not any of the anti-faunus groups either since there was a faunus there…"

"Welp, I'm sure Yang will find something out. She's got more connections than even you do." Ruby sighed, taking another sip of her drink.

"So just out of curiosity, how hard did they try?" Weiss smiled. "I mean, the ones in my office seemed a bit weak."

"Yeah, they were a bit stupid. If it was me I would have just used an AP round with an infared scope. Not to mention you sat at your desk for two hours without moving. A sniper would have been the smart choice. Instead of a bunch of foot soldiers." Ruby laughed, caressing the weapon on her back. "Plus I'm retired. I shouldn't have to deal with this crap anymore."

"Honestly, considering where my office is, I can't see why they didn't use a sniper." Weiss mused, finishing off her drink.

"They did. Just so happens I surprised him by already sitting in his spot." Ruby laughed. "You should have seen the look on his face as he fell off the side of that building. It was priceless!"

"Just as fun loving as ever, I see." Weiss smiled and watched Ruby finish her drink.

"Anyway… I actually think I might come out of retirement after this." Ruby said with a slight grin on her face.

"What? I thought you were, and quote, 'getting too old for this'. Remember that? From two minutes ago?" Weiss asked in response, her eyebrows raised in her usual amazement at Ruby's changes in opinion.

"Yeah, but I'm so bored. I have nothing to do anymore. Honestly, before yesterday, I hadn't killed _anything_ in years!" Ruby exclaimed rather loudly, making a couple of people that were walking by run back into the crowd of the dance floor.

"That's sad… truly." Weiss grinned. "Actually, if that's the case, you came at a perfect time."

"Huh?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, last week my head of security was killed and I've been rather hesitant to find a new one. They dont train them as well as they used to. If you want, the job is yours." Weiss shrugged.

"I dunno… you know I never liked wearing suits…" Ruby complained, playing with the edge of her red cloak.

"I know it might be a bit slow compared to what you used to do, but I honestly don't want to do interviews again. And you'd be fine with your combat wear. It's not as… flashy as some others I've seen." Weiss said, remembering her other teammate's clothing choices.

"I guess I have no choice then… Ms. Schnee." Ruby smirked as she bowed slightly.

"Ruby, that's weird. Just say my name normally and don't bow." Weiss cringed.

"Well doesn't everyone else do that?" Ruby asked innocently.

"Everyone else aren't my friends." Weiss replied.

"Awww! I'm your friend!" Ruby giggled.

"But I can still fire you." Weiss threatened angrily.

"Fine…" Ruby mumbled looking downcast.

"I swear…." Weiss sighed. "Never mind. You start in a month."

"A month?" Ruby asked confused.

"We take vacation time together. And it starts tomorrow." Weiss explained.

"Then… I'm hired today?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"Ruby, I'm not going to start paying you just so you get time off!" Weiss reprimanded her old team leader.

"But… I saved your life…" Ruby pulled her puppy dog eyes. Admittedly it was far less cute these days but simply the way her lip quivered brought memories back that Weiss had rather have forgotten. Memories that were very difficult to say no to.

"Fine! You start right now. Happy?" Weiss asked, somewhat frustrated with herself for giving in.

"I'm not unhappy." Ruby commented, the smile back on her face.

"Good. Then I'm going home now. I've had a long day and the adrenaline from you almost shooting me has worn off." Weiss said standing and leaving a bill under her glass.

"I told you I wasn't aiming at you!" Ruby argued again. "Also I was going to ask if I could crash at your place tonight?"

Weiss was conflicted for the barest of moments, then she relented and nodded as her old teammate followed her back to the car. "Just promise you won't break anything this time?"

"We both know that was Yang's fault! I never break things." Weiss raised a doubting eyebrow at Ruby's comment. "You know, unless I want to."

Weiss couldn't help but feel, as she led Ruby out of the club, that the coming days would get much more interesting than they had been for a long while.


	3. Chapter 3

**As always, thanks for reading! And let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sunny Side Retirement Community, Atlas City, Atlas - 11:07**

"Damn thing!" Yang swore as she gently pounded on a large box housing a thirty-something year old scroll. She'd had the monstrous piece of furniture constructed to preserve her first scroll that she'd ever gotten, although it was slightly unnecessary since the technology hadn't improved much since her time at Beacon.

"What's the matter now?" A young man in nurses clothing asked as he approached carrying a glass and pills for the woman that was sitting next to the retired brawler.

"The receptor's out of whack again. I really wish there was an easier way to get Vale channels here." Yang grumbled, sitting back down to stare at the 'bad signal' screen.

"Well, let me take a look and see if I can get it working again." He said with a smile before he lay down and slid beneath the box to see the circuit board that connected to the antennae atop the box.

"You were right. Those shirts must really be thin!" The woman whispered in Yang's ear making her laugh a little. The scroll snapped back onto the connection and the man slid back out.

"Thanks, sexy." Yang gave him a thumbs up as the pro wrestling match resumed from commercial.

"Sometimes I think you just like me for my body." He grumbled, a smile on his face since he'd been around the brawler long enough to know it was just her usual banter.

"Of course not!" Yang replied shocked. "You're also my dealer. You have a nice body and give me drugs, what's not to like?"

"I swear you'll get me fired if they hear you talk like that." He sighed, taking a small bottle out of his pocket and handing it over to Yang. "I doubt I have to tell you how to take those."

"Of course not." Yang sighed. "It's not like I'd be doing much harm if I didn't follow the directions anyway."

"Are they at least helping now?" He asked. The concern in his voice touched her, but there was nothing to be done at this point anymore.

"They're no different than the last set. Either way, I won't have long to deal with it." Yang smiled ruefully. "But don't worry yourself about me. I'll be fine."

"If you say so." He nodded and walked off to continue delivering pills to others in the common room.

Yang watched one of the wrestlers on her scroll start pounding the ground in surrender and sighed, handing five lien to the woman beside her and looking away as her chosen fighter went on to formally lose the match. Her eyes drifted across the room and came to a rest on a red hood that had just walked into the common area.

"Ruby! What are you doing here?" Yang asked, pulling herself to her feet.

"Apparently trying to get you to stop sexually harassing the nurses." Ruby replied before pulling her sister into a tight hug. "It's been too long."

"Well, you got busy and I… came here." Yang replied with a shake of her head. "Anyway, to what do I owe the unexpected visit?"

Ruby motioned for them to walk and Yang led her to an empty hall that led to a balcony at the rear of the building. "You can thank the team of assassins that caved in my living room last night."

"Are you okay? You weren't shot were you?" Yang grabbed her sister by the shoulders and looked at her face to make sure she wouldn't lie.

"No, I wasn't shot!" Ruby pouted. "You honestly think these noobs could land a finger on me, let alone a round?"

"Well, you were always the fastest in our class." Yang admitted with a grin.

"They were lucky if they caught a glimpse of me before I put fire rounds through their sorry excuse for combat armour." Ruby said with a smirk. "Anyway, they weren't the usual groups we're used to."

"How do you mean?" Yang asked seriously, all the joking gone from her tone.

"Wasn't Fang or Anti's. Not Atlas either as far as I could tell." Ruby said.

"A street gang maybe?" Yang asked.

"No. Too organized." Ruby replied. "Also, they seemed intent on killing me rather than robbing my house. The five thousand or so bullet holes in the walls account for that."

"That many of them?" Yang asked incredulously, doubting even Ruby could handle a full sized platoon.

"No. They just had big guns." Ruby smiled. "All flash and no bang."

"Well, at least you're okay." Yang sighed as she realized why Ruby had come to see her. "Okay, give them here. I'll see what I can dig up for you."

"Thanks Yang!" Ruby gave her a hug then pulled the zip-lock bag out of one of her belt's pouches. Inside was a bloody mess of fingers that she'd cut from her assailants hands.

"Did you at least remember to ice them?" Yang sighed knowing how Ruby often forgot the most important part of getting a proper identification.

"Yup! I got ice from a drink machine on my way to visit our princess." Ruby grinned slyly. "And I snuck the bag into her freezer last night."

"So… don't tell me… you two…" Yang spoke slowly as she watched her sisters reaction.

"We're working together!" Ruby exclaimed. "Or, really I'm her head of security because I'm bored and wanted to do something."

Yang sighed shaking her head. "Well, just don't make her as angry as you usually do."

"Hey! I never make her angry!" Ruby shook her finger at Yang. "You're the one who always breaks her stuff! She _loves_ me!"

"Well, I can't deny that… and I can't help it if everything she owns is made of paper thin glass!" Yang replied.

The two were silent for a moment before they broke out in laughter.

"Man, I missed this." Yang sighed, her laughing finished. "Let me know if you need anything else okay?"

"You know I will." Ruby's smile faltered. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

"As fine as ever." Yang waited for Ruby to continue. When she didn't Yang sighed, knowing that it was pointless to hide things from her sister. "They say it's progressed to stage 4. There's nothing they can do anymore."

"Yang…" Ruby wrapped her arm around her sister and pulled her into a brief and gentle hug.

"I'm fine. These pills they give me are supposed to help slow any further progression, but they haven't been working." Yang sighed and cracked her neck while rubbing the back of Ruby's head. "I already have all my stuff in order, so you won't have to worry about doing anything."

"Yang…" Ruby didn't know what to say. She always knew stuff like this happened to people, but that was just it. It happened to _other_ people. Not Yang, the invincible flaming boxer turned huntress.

"It's alright, Ruby. You know how I've always been." Yang smiled remembering a quote from somewhere she couldn't quite place. "Live fast, die young."

"But-"

"Shhh…" Yang cuddled Ruby closer. Even after all these years her relationship with her baby sister hadn't changed. Ruby might not be so naive anymore, but she always looked up to her even if she had no reason to anymore. "I'm here right now, and that's what matters."

After a few moments of silence, a muffled "Okay" came from the girl with the red hood. Yang smiled and released her sister who took a step back and quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Hey! Who said you could cry?" Yang joked, poking Ruby in the shoulder.

"Sorry." Ruby mumbled, looking down at her boots.

"Ruby, I was joking." Yang said, realizing how shaken Ruby was at the moment.

"Oh. Ha ha. Funny." Ruby said as she turned to walk away.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Yang called after her sister. Ruby waved in response over her shoulder without looking back before she disappeared around the corner. A few rose petals floated back, letting Yang know Ruby had gone.

Yang leaned against the wall in defeat, the bloody bag of fingers hanging forgotten in her hand. Ruby had always been so open and caring about those close to her, but she had also been abandoned early in her life in the worst possible way. Yang had vowed when she took Ruby under her wing that she'd never leave Ruby like her mother had, but here she was breaking that vow unintentionally. For the first time in months she cursed her disease and felt sorry for herself, using Ruby as an excuse.

She didn't want to die, but that was inevitable. All she could do was be there for Ruby as long as she could, and possibly pass her torch on to the only other person on Remnant that she knew had a solid, long standing relationship with her little sister.

"Alright!" She pushed herself off the wall and looked down at the bag in her hands. "Guess I'll take care of this first."

* * *

**Hidden Underground Complex, Eastern Wilderness, Mystral - 12:50**

"Alright." The faunus replied to the armed guards and relinquished her weapon. Once again the guards stopped her and gestured to the kimono on the nearby table. She sighed heavily. "Pigs."

She quickly stripped and replaced her clothing with the kimono once the guards had inspected her body for 'concealed weaponry'. At one point in time she might have been embarrassed, but she was long passed that phase of her life. She walked past the checkpoint and down the hall to the lone room at the end where the man she sought was waiting.

"Hello. I apologize for the security, but one mustn't be too careful." He gestured for her to take a seat and she gave a slight bow as she did so. "Your target is this man. The usual payment will be provided."

"I see." The faunus picked up the picture of the man and having taken a look at it, started folding it over and over. "Unfortunately, I am currently under the employment of a different organization, and I cannot spare time to eliminate your target at present."

"How unfortunate…. However I will still entrust to you this assignment. You will receive payment on confirmation of the targets demise." He responded.

The girl finished folding the paper holding it between her thumb and index finger. It formed a small shuriken. "Normally I would accept your offer, except there are two problems. First of which, he's my current employer and I won't get paid until I complete my assignment."

The man's eyes grew wide in realization as she twisted the tip of the folded paper, making the point strong and sharp.

"Second of which…" She lashed out her arm, embedding the small bit of paper into the man's throat, silencing him as blood slowly seeped down into his red silk vestments. "He pays better."

The man started bowing forward as he lost consciousness, and she followed suit as if ending a professional meeting.

She quickly made her way back to the checkpoint and redressed in her usual monochrome combat outfit, sheathing her katana on her back along with her old multipurpose weapon from her time as a huntress. She left the complex to the wilderness above and found her aircraft exactly where she'd left it.

As she sat down at the controls, she felt her scroll receive a message. She opened it to find her employer had already transferred the funds to her account, adding a measly hundred million lien to the already massive number that exceeded five hundred trillion. She was about to close the device when another message loaded from an old friend she hadn't talked to in decades.

_Hey Kitty Cat! Need some help with IDing a few John Does. Usual databases are causing problems. Fifty mil and a drink with your name on it at Sunny Side Retirement Community, Atlas. Room 304._

"Sunny Side…?" She mumbled in surprise split between the meeting place and who had sent the message. If for nothing else, she had to find out what the hell that was all about.

She called up her assistant back at her house in Mystral. "Ready my light gear and refuel the fast jet. I'll be there in ten minutes."

* * *

**Alt: +2000m, Western Passage, Wild Territories - 14:32**

She sat looking out the window of her private jet as the young pilot flew her to her destination. The glass of red wine in her hand free of any ripples, proving the man had enough talent to avoid the turbulent crosswinds the passage was famous for.

She looked down at her scroll which she had open to a file about her old teammates. She'd done most of the research over years of being in and out of contact with the three others while working both for and against them. She vividly remembered the last time she saw one of her old friends.

It had been during a blizzard in the far northern region of Atlas. She'd been hired to do some sabotage work and the bubbly Nora Valkyrie had been on assignment to defend her target.

They'd both taken shelter in the same small hut, talking little about their true reason for being in the wasteland. In the end Blake had used her cunning intellectual skills to ascertain that Nora was her enemy.

She sighed and took a sip of her wine, remembering equally how long she'd nursed the wound on her left leg that had been caused by getting too close to one of Nora's grenades exploding and the fact that she'd failed to complete her mission flawlessly. It had been the first time she'd only finished half of her mission before needing to retreat. The reason for that being the flaming ball of fury that left puddles of snow in her wake as she blazed towards Nora's pink explosions.

She got up and walked to the bar to refill her glass. Then she sat back down and relaxed, wondering again why Yang of all people would be holed up in a retirement community. She knew everyone still worked except Ruby and herself. Though technically she was deceased in eight cities across Mystral alone. It wasn't that much of a stretch that Ruby's retirement wasn't true to it's name.

She knew Weiss would still be working at her family's business since she'd last talked to her six years previous for a job that effectually eliminated any notable resistance to her company from the various groups of anti-faunus renegades, and left the two at odds with each other.

That only left Yang. She'd been a huntress all throughout her career, setting records such as most Grimm killed in a solo hunt and most difficult way to kill a death stalker. Then there was her accolades from her part time boxing such as most damage taken in a tournament fight while still being able to compete and win, most one hit KOs in a single season, and most efficient tournament win after knocking out each opponent with a single punch.

With all that under her belt, it confused the faunus why she'd ask to meet in a retirement home of all places. _But maybe that's all it is… a meeting place._

She noticed the fasten seatbelt sign light up and noticed with a glance out the window that she'd zoned out for more than an hour. She'd have her answers in another hour, so she pushed her musing back to the dark corners of her brain. Attention to her surroundings is what had kept her alive for so long, and she wasn't going to let her guard down now.


	4. Chapter 4

**South Boardwalk, Vale, Kingdom of Vale - 15:57**

"I suppose you'd say no to a late lunch, huh?"

"That should be obvious."

Ruby sighed and kept walking beside Weiss. They were on a crowded boardwalk that was full of various restaurants and food stands. She found herself eying a hot dog stand as they passed, her stomach rumbling its discontent at being denied the sustenance just feet away. Weiss continued on to their destination, not having heard her partner's stomach over the white noise of conversations and the nearby ocean.

The crowds weren't as thick as they usually were due to the Vytal festival taking place on the opposite side of the city, yet they were a far cry from being considered thin. Ruby had often hated being in the middle of a crowd, but she hadn't been in one this large in years. It wasn't as bad as she remembered.

A loud growl came from Weiss's direction, making Ruby snap her head around.

"What was that?" She asked, looking past the white hair of her employer to the people in the light crowd on the other side of the walkway, none of whom were paying them any attention. She looked back to Weiss who seemed normal except for a minuscule pink blush on her face.

"I still say no to a late lunch…" Weiss said firmly, not meeting Ruby's gaze. "But I suppose a snack would be nice."

"Yes! I knew you'd cave!" Ruby disappeared in a flash of her semblance and reappeared seconds later, carrying two crepes.

"How'd they make those so quick?" Weiss asked, not complaining that she hadn't been asked what she wanted after deciding it actually looked quite appetizing.

"Oh, they didn't. I did." Ruby answered before taking a huge bite out of hers.

"I know there has to be a story here." Weiss said with a sigh, knowing Ruby liked to talk about her past exploits. "They wouldn't just let you walk in and make food just like that."

Ruby laughed at Weiss's observation skills. "Alright… see that guy over there?"

Weiss looked to where Ruby nodded and found herself staring at a very fat man in a floral shirt and shorts. "The large one?"

"Yup! Guess who he is?"

"He looks like…" Weiss carefully took in his features while not looking directly at him and suddenly a sense of familiarity washed over her. "No."

"Yup!" Ruby laughed as Weiss's jaw dropped.

"It can't be… but it is…" Weiss took in the blue hair that fell to the man's shoulders, hiding a scar Weiss had created in a very heated argument during her second year at Beacon.

"Yup!" Ruby laughed gleefully. "That's Neptune!"

"My god! What happened?" Weiss asked, shocked that the once slim and handsome man had turned into an obese food salesman.

"Turns out he wanted out of being a hunter, but his employers were the old Vacuo royalty." Ruby shrugged, taking another bite from her crepe. "Long story short, I flipped him and now he goes by Poseidon and he owns about fourty crepe shops around Remnant."

"No kidding." Weiss took a bite from her crepe and felt the whipped cream escape her jaw and stick to her cheek. She quickly swallowed and turned to Ruby. "Do you have napkins?"

"I got it!" Ruby jumped and Weiss flinched, not used to her old team leader's antics. She closed her eyes for a second and felt something wet swipe her cheek where the creme had been. Just as quickly a piece of cloth gently wiped over the area returning it to normal. Weiss opened her eyes to find Ruby taking another bite from her snack.

"Please tell me…" Weiss took a deep breath as several possibilities flew through her brain. "Tell me you didn't just lick me."

"Okay, I didn't just lick you." Ruby shrugged, continuing on their walk.

"Then what did you do?" Weiss asked, now more confused at her leader's antics.

"Well do you want the truth or just what you want to hear?" Ruby asked as she finished her crepe.

"Did you lick me?" Weiss sighed. She was still getting used to Ruby even after spending a good part of a day with her. It wasn't as if she disliked her friend, only that it had taken her the better part of three years to finally understand her mindset and how to counteract it. Now that they had been away from each other for decades, spare the odd mission together, she found herself woefully out of practice and unprepared to deal with the scythe wielder.

"Yes I did." Ruby watched Weiss rub her temple with her free hand. "And you should keep eating. They go bad pretty quick."

"Fine, but never lick me again." Weiss grumbled, being extra careful not to repeat her initial mistake.

"No promises. Besides…" Ruby grinned before leaning toward Weiss and whispering. "You seemed to like my tongue quite a bit on your twenty fifth birthday."

"God! Put it to you to remember something like that!" Weiss snapped, pushing Ruby away.

"Just saying, even after so many years I still know what I'm doing." Ruby winked before turning back to their path.

Weiss frowned at Ruby's back until she remembered she should eat the rest of her crepe. Once she finished, she tapped Ruby on the back to get her attention.

"What's up?"

"I did make it clear that that was a one time thing, right?" Weiss asked cautious of who overheard.

"You certainly tried to, but somewhere in between your gasping and stuffing your pillow in your mouth your point may have been forgotten." Ruby said with a devious smile on her face.

"You haven't forgotten what I said to you that time, have you?" Weiss asked cautiously.

"No, it's more like I don't give a damn. I never did to be honest, but I think my perspective has changed a bit over the years, and now I care even less." Ruby smiled honestly.

"It's still a big NO. You know that right?" Weiss asked agitatedly. "And what made you think of that all of a sudden anyhow?"

"Can't blame a girl for trying." Ruby replied with a shrug. "And maybe its being here on the boardwalk. I still remember our first date as if it were yesterday."

"That wasn't a date and you know it." Weiss stated.

"Details, details." Ruby waved her hand. "You can't deny that the end was definitely… climactic."

Weiss couldn't help but stare blankly at Ruby's wordplay. Ruby's humor had been influenced far too much by the highly intellectual Blake and the exceedingly crude Yang. "I think we're getting off this topic now. How about you tell me all about how Yang Xiao Long, the setter of countless fighting records, managed to get into a retirement community when she's barely old enough to retire?"

"Well… it started about five years ago. Yang-" Ruby's scroll started ringing, cutting her off. She quickly pulled it out and checked the number on the call display. "Hold on a second."

Weiss opened her mouth to comment on the rude interruption, but shut it again since Ruby had just answered her scroll. The one thing Weiss was proud she hadn't lost over the years was her sense of etiquette and her respect for others that she'd gained from her team at Beacon.

"Weiss, I think we need to pay Ren a visit." Ruby said as she closed her scroll and spun back to face the docks. "He's in some deep shit if Yang's theory is right."

Weiss inhaled at Ruby's curse. Only when things were very close to falling apart did Ruby's vocabulary devolve to common swearing. She let out her breath slowly, knowing how serious her next choice would be.

"I believe the meeting for the four kingdoms' politicians is this weekend. He'll most likely be safe until the end of that due to the extensive security." Weiss said quickly. "If this is really as bad as you think it is, we should find Nora first."

* * *

**Sunny Side Retirement Community, Atlas City, Atlas - 16:22**

Two knocks sounded at the door in the small room that consisted of a single bed and a vanity that doubled as a dresser. A small office swivel chair was occupied by the lone resident who lazily called over to the door.

"It's open."

The door creaked open slowly, revealing a black clad figure with one hand resting on the hilt of a katana.

"You here to kill me kitty?" Yang asked slyly, looking into the mirror at the faunus.

"You invited me, remember? Or have you finally lost your last few brain cells?" She replied coolly while moving to take a seat on the bed after ensuring they were alone.

"Yeah… about that." Yang started, still not turning from her position facing the mirror. "After I sent you that message, I received a tip about my assassination. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"It's the first I'm hearing of it." Blake replied. "Either way, I'd have no reason to talk with you if I did."

"You always did like to get work done before pleasure." Yang replied with a smile, finally turning to reveal a small high caliber revolver in her lap. "Just wanted to make sure before I get down to our business."

Blake nodded, eyes tracking Yang's movements as she replaced the gun in a concealed holster under her vanity. In turn, Blake removed her sword and leaned it against the bed post to show good faith.

"So moving on!" Yang cheered as she pulled a small unmarked file out of a pile of newspapers in the corner. "These idiots decided to attack Ruby. I need to know anything you might know about them or who might have hired them."

Blake shifted through the file which had information about a seemingly random collection of people who seemed unconnected. She spent a minute studying each file and searching her memory for any information that might be helpful. As it was, nothing came to mind.

"Sorry, I can't help you this time. These are obviously new graduates from their age, but I couldn't tell you who hired them. I don't know why Ruby would be a target either, though it could be connected to one of her past operations." Blake said placing the files back and returning it to Yang.

"Exactly what I was thinking. So I started some digging and came up with six operations that seemed suspicious." Yang smiled, tossing the file into a drawer. "They were all connected to the third campaign."

"How so?" Blake asked, knowing Yang no longer had access to any of those records.

"Well, remember the other team we were in a squad with for the few missions over the winter?" Blake nodded her response, so Yang continued. "I was checking up on the teams we had worked with and most of them are all still fine or they died at random times between then and now. Except them. That team died within four days just last week. Ruby and Weiss were attacked yesterday and the day before. If these attacks are connected, I'll be next since you're off the grid."

"Noted. We sh-!" Blake's eyes flashed open and she motioned for Yang to be quiet. She gracefully leapt off the bed and took her sword before jumping out the window into the early evening. Taking her cue, Yang spun back to her vanity and quickly drew the large revolver into her lap.

The door swung open to show an athletic man in formal wear aiming a silenced dust pistol at the back of Yang's head. She looked at him in the mirror and sighed.

"Are you here to kill me hot stuff?" She asked as innocently as she was capable. Her tone seemed to surprise the man as he entered the room and closed the door.

"Don't take it personally. This is just business." He replied, not moving a muscle as he waited for Yang's response.

"I don't suppose it matters at this point but would you mind sharing who hired you?" Yang asked politely.

"Don't know his name. But he said if anyone asked to tell them January fourth, second year of the third campaign. Said you'd know who it was." He replied.

"I seem to be having trouble remembering…" Yang sighed. "I don't suppose we could reschedule this?"

"Sorry, I got a deadline." He replied shortly, clicking the safety off his weapon.

"So that's how it is, huh?" Yang asked sadly.

"That's right. That's how it is." He replied as his finger pulled the trigger of the weapon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Southern Wilderness, Kingdom of Vale - 17:02**

"Remind me again why we're in the middle of a forest?" Weiss spoke as she uncaught herself from yet another bush that had decided to rip into her skirt.

"Because Nora moved out here after the Vale experimentation incident." Ruby reiterated for what felt like the thousandth time.

"And even though you've said that, I still have no idea what that was." Weiss sighed, wishing to get an actual answer out of her old partner for once. It seemed leadership wasn't the only thing Ozpin had taught her.

"I'll explain later. I'm not sure exactly where she lives so I don't want to get caught explaining when we find her." Ruby said, pushing the topic off.

The two continued through the forest in silence as they had done countless times before. Weiss looked around as Ruby led her farther from civilization and deeper into grimm territory. It wasn't uncommon for hunters to venture into the wilderness, but Weiss felt that they were woefully underarmed if they happened across a large gathering of grimm.

After several long minutes, Ruby sped up in a slightly different direction, leaving the already overgrown path and heading into the dense forest.

"Okay Ruby, I get it." Weiss grumbled, using her rapier to slash at the growth in front of her. "I'm not used to this so just stop already!"

"Quiet!" Ruby ordered as she came to a stop about twenty feet in front of an ancient looking vehicle that had been cut in half resting next to a large tree.

"Ruby, I-"

"Shh!" Ruby cut Weiss off as she slowly reached back to her weapon. A crazy scream and a flash of pink exploded from the bush just to Ruby's left. A massive hammer swinging around at deadly speed as Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out and deflected the hammer before shooting it's head so the weapon left it's owner's hands from the massive recoil. Ruby dropped her weapon, drawing a single blade from it's compacted blade and spinning to face her assailant.

Nora stiffened as the knife bit into her neck just gently enough to avoid drawing blood.

"We're not here to kill you." Ruby spoke seriously.

"And how do I know that?" Nora asked, not moving a muscle as she maintained her posture.

"Because if we were, I could have already run you through with my sword." Weiss stated from behind Ruby.

"Maybe… you just want to find out where my base is, then kill me." Nora suggested. At this, Weiss noticed the girl's eyes were different from the last time she'd seen them. She couldn't exactly tell how though.

"It's in the trunk of that half car." Ruby stated calmly. "Ren already told me that."

"You lie! He'd never tell you anything like that!" Nora accused as she seemed to press herself slightly farther into the knife.

"He would if we could give you a warning that might save your life." Ruby replied. Weiss noticed she'd eased up on the knife just enough so Nora didn't cut her own neck from her slight bouncing.

"Why would you help me? Last time I saw you I tried to kill you." Nora asked, still distrusting.

"Why would I still be mad? That was years ago." Ruby asked in response.

"People hold grudges." Nora replied simply.

They stared at each other for a moment as they sized each other up.

"On the count of three, I'm going to remove my knife." Ruby stated. "I'm not here to kill you."

"Ruby is that-" Weiss started but was cut off as Ruby started counting.

"Three!" Ruby counted and pulled the knife back and moved her arm off to the side. "Are you happy now?"

Nora looked at Weiss over Ruby's shoulder, her odd eyes contacting the ice blue of the CEO. She stared at Weiss for a moment before she got the question.

"I'm just following her. We don't have any problems." Weiss rolled her eyes as Nora turned back to Ruby.

"Okay." She said, still not moving. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, for starters, I'd like it if you could get your knife out of my crotch." Ruby stated bluntly.

Nora looked down and her eyes widened. "Right…"

At that moment, an airship flew directly overhead making Nora jump. She edged toward the trunk of a tree until the noise of the aircraft had disappeared.

"Should I be concerned?" Weiss asked Ruby as they watched Nora looking up through the trees.

"Nah, she's probably harmless." Ruby waved Weiss off and looked back at Nora.

She finished watching the aircraft as it moved out of sight over the forest, then she quickly turned to Ruby and Weiss.

"It might be time to move again, those no good party killers with their squishy eyes are always trying to see what I'm doing, but I know better!" Nora announced as she waved the couple over to the half vehicle. She kicked the trunk and it popped open to reveal a stairway going down to some underground structure.

Ruby followed behind Nora with Weiss trailing behind. They stopped and let Nora start climbing down, holding back to give her a respectable amount of space.

"I'm not so sure about this, Ruby." Weiss muttered, noticing the flickering of the lights in the stairwell that went on for quite a distance.

"We'll be fine." Ruby dismissed Weiss's concern with a wave. "She hasn't changed that much."

"That's what I'm worried about." Weiss whispered under her breath.

"What's that?" Ruby asked as she took a step into the stairwell.

"Nothing." Weiss responded.

"Okay, just watch your head." Ruby said as she turned to follow Nora.

Weiss stepped into the stairwell, ducking under the trunk's lid and pulling it closed once she'd gone a few steps.

* * *

**Sunny Side Retirement Community, Atlas City, Atlas - 17:20**

She walked through the chaos of the flashing lights and emergency personnel. The large building was being evacuated as police cordoned off the area and other emergency personnel were helping the other residents get settled until they would be allowed to return to their home. Orderlies were making the usual rounds, handing out pills.

"Sorry miss, no one is allowed past this point." An officer said as he stepped into her way. She sighed in response.

"It's not a problem." She pulled out a badge and showed the man who backed up in response.

"Oh, sorry Lieutenant. I thought Travis was heading this one up." He said while scratching the back of his head.

"He is. I just happened to be on my way by and wanted to see what the ruckus was about." She said.

"Well, I don't know myself since I pulled door duty this week. Forensics is already looking around but Davis said it was pretty open and shut." He said while stepping back to let another man in a white lab coat out of the door. "Go on up if you want, just follow the eggheads."

"You wanna go, John?" The man in the lab coat asked.

"Just razzing ya, Bill!" The officer responded with a laugh.

"Thanks." She nodded and stepped past him into the home.

Inside was just how it had been almost an hour previous, minus the residents and the smell of recently completed dinner. She walked casually, taking in the sights of the empty building. She passed by the common area and made her way to Yang's room.

As the officer had stated, there were five people in white lab coats taking pictures and processing evidence. A large white sheet lay in the center of the floor, covering what was most definitely a body. She ignored it, moving to the desk.

"Has this been processed yet?" She asked the nearest investigator who had a part of his face covered with a dust mask.

"Not yet. I doubt there is much of interest over there anyhow." He replied while angling his camera to take another picture.

"Mind if I take a look?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Go ahead, just wear these." He handed her a pair of gloves from a box on the bed. She nodded and pulled them on.

She took her time looking over the top of the desk, as the forensics technicians kept at their work. When she felt that they had started ignoring her she opened the drawers, quickly sifting through the contents. There was nothing of note, just as she'd expected. She checked to find all evidence of the concealed holster on the bottom of the desk missing and then moved over to the stack of old news papers. She shifted through them, looking for any papers that might have been hidden. She found nothing. What she did find were a few articles that stood out detailing her old teammates. She made a quick list of the papers and gave it to the nearest investigator before tossing them into a large plastic bag and carrying it out of the room.

One quick look around told her that nobody was watching, so she slipped up a nearby stairwell and took the backpack she'd stashed in a nearby alcove earlier on in the day. She transferred the papers and tossed her gloves and the evidence bag into a fireplace as she approached the rear balcony.

As far as she was concerned, her job here was done. But she hadn't survived this long by just completing her jobs. She pulled out her scroll and dialed the number she'd memorized long ago.

Only a single ring was heard before the line opened to silence.

"It's me. Let's grab coffee sometime." She said as she climbed the rail of the balcony.

"Sure thing, Kitty! I know a purr-fect place." Yang replied with an audible grin.

"Remember, I take two shots in mine." Blake smiled back into the phone.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. Later." Yang replied and Blake ended the call. She quickly jumped over the neighboring fence and headed to the back lane to avoid the crowd out front.

* * *

**Junior's Club, Atlas City, Atlas - 17:45**

"Alright, alright, I'll ask him!" The bartender panicked. Yang had his hand bent backwards on top of the bar with one hand while the other held her strawberry sunrise.

"It's appreciated." Blake replied as she joined her old friend at the bar. "When you've got a moment, I'll have a Monte Cristo, no whip."

Yang released his hand and he immediately reached for a phone. He dialed and made Blake's drink at the same time. He passed it to her before turning away and walking a few paces down the bar so he'd be out of earshot.

"So… any particular reason you brought those with you?" Yang asked with a nod to the backpack, knowing that Blake had collected her collection of memories.

Blake shrugged while taking a sip of her drink. "Not really. Thought you might like them as souvenirs."

Yang nodded and downed her drink. She motioned for another then looked over at Blake. She was about as you'd expect. The years had been… well, kind wasn't the word for it, yet to say they were unkind was a lie. Blake was still about the same as when Yang had first met her: quiet, smart, and caring. But the years had added many more things onto that small list. She was one of the world's best contract killers, so naturally what remained of a conscience was often quickly silenced by an extra fifty million lien. She had finally taken the ninja thing to a whole new level with her additional katana on top of her variant-ballistic chain-scythe, not to mention the now entirely black outfit. On top of all that though, there was one thing Yang knew she could trust even if it dated back to their time in beacon.

"Looks like you could use a vacation." Yang said as the bartender passed her the new drink.

"I could say the same to you." Blake replied shortly. It was a testament to the amount of time they'd been apart that the conversation only continued in small segments, but Yang knew they were both just unsure of each other. In the world they were a part of, it was constantly a game of trust and mistrust that kept you alive. Saying the wrong thing to the wrong person was sometimes even more effective than digging your own grave.

"I guess you might have heard some rumors of why I've been in that retirement community when I'm not even retired." Yang started the topic she knew was weighing heavily on her teammate's mind. Even if Blake had become even better than Weiss at hiding her thoughts and emotions from her face, there were a few benefits for those who had spent years in constant contact with the faunus.

"Rumors rarely have any basis in fact." Blake replied, still facing the wall of bottles behind the bar.

"Come on, Blake. You already know the answer to the question, just ask. Please?" Yang prompted. Blake hesitated with her drink half way to her mouth. After a moment, she took a generous sip and sighed.

"Yang, I…" Blake found that for once she couldn't continue. "Are the rumors…"

Yang waited patiently. She'd had difficulty accepting the facts at first as well, but Blake… she'd left years before and had never returned, so Yang hadn't bothered to update her. Now she realized what she'd done by cutting her old teammate off. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No… it's fine… it's…" Blake took a deep breath and closed her eyes, still not looking at Yang. "It's cancer, right?"

"Yup." Yang popped the end of the word as silence fell between them.

After a brief moment, Blake nodded and continued. "And now it's turned terminal?"

"Accurate as ever." Yang replied before downing her drink.

Blake nodded in response. The two sat beside each other at the bar, simply waiting as the bartender continued to talk into the phone. After a moment, Yang felt Blake's head hit her shoulder and couldn't help but smile. Even after all the years, she still knew exactly how to cheer the brawler up.

"Hey there, kitty." Yang whispered, scratching Blake's ears and planting a simple kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry Yang… for not keeping in touch." Came Blake's reply sadly. "Are you okay?"

"It's no big deal." Yang grinned. "Everyone's gotta go at some point. You might say that stiff back there was trying to rush me."

"I know how pointless trying to rush you is." Blake replied, earning her a small flick from Yang.

"I missed you a lot, Blake." Yang mumbled, knowing full well that Blake was the only one who could have heard her over the music in the background.

"Junior said he'll see you in his office." The bartender interrupted as he hung up his phone and turned back to the women. "Straight at the end of the hall, can't miss it."

Yang nodded when he turned to leave. Now all she wanted to do was stay here with Blake's head on her shoulder but there would be time for that later, when her family was safe. She smiled that even after all they'd gone through together, fighting both at each other's sides and at times against one another, they all still felt like family to her.

"Come on kitty, let's get this over with and go home." Yang gave Blake a one armed hug and stood up. Blake followed suit and together they made their way down the hall to see the club's owner. Junior may have been in his mid eighties, but when it came to finding information, he was still the best broker around. And right now, there was quite a list of things Yang wanted to know.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**First off, I'm sorry for not updating this story more often, but I've been quite busy with my other stories as some of you may already know. I am officially putting this on hiatus until I can honestly put some effort into this story to make it what it deserves to be. I have information about estimated dates on my profile in the update information section. I will hopefully come back to this story within this year, and I hope that you will all look forward to that as much as I do.**

**Thank you all again for reading, and I will change the title back once I have resumed publishing in this story.**

**-Spat915**


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